A List of Miscellaneous Questions

[MisterBarca]

Hi, I am a turn-based fantasy strategy game fanatic who discovered this game yesterday. And I can't believe how absorbing the game is, considering that it is free!

Anyways, I had a list of miscellaneous questions, and I was hoping if someone could be kind enough to address them:

1. What version to download?

Among other issues, I understand that the latest version is still in "development." But the issue is what degree of development are we talking about. Does the latest version approximate, for instance, the "beta" version of the game-speak and is almost free of bugs? Or is it what would be called pre-"alpha" stage and is essentially unplayable?

2. How do I edit the unit stats?

I quickly glanced over the files, but I could not find the particular file that controls the unit stats and other attributes. Moreover, once I do find such a file, what program should I use to edit it? Will something basic like MS Notepad suffice (as is the case of Civ4)?

3. Are there additional campaigns to download?

I saw that there is an in-game link for downloading Wesnoth files. But they seem to be all maps; am I correct in this assumption?

I am sure I had more questions, but this ought to be enough for now. Thanks in advance!

[MisterBarca]

Addenum:

Question #4: I have yet to encounter an item other than something that gives you Holy damage in the main campaign, in spite of the fact that I am more than half-way through. Are there other items in the game or was this the sole one?

[Lim_Arcadia]

1.) I recomend the Dev version, it has bugs, but is often more complete then the stable version IMO

2.) Read the Create section to learn the WML, then a simple text editor will suffice. The units have individual .cfg files, that can be found under this directory (for windows):
Wesnoth/data/core/units
however, it is recomended that you do not edit the stats there, because it causes OOS (Out Of Sync) errors in multiplayer

3.) There are a few campaigns on the add on server, however these are often long in development, and so most of what is on the add on server are either multiplayer maps or eras. I recomend Saving Elensefar, by turin, I really enjoyed that one.

[Iris]

Hi, I am a turn-based fantasy strategy game fanatic who discovered this game yesterday. And I can't believe how absorbing the game is, considering that it is free!

We feel deeply flattered.

Anyways, I had a list of miscellaneous questions, and I was hoping if someone could be kind enough to address them:

1. What version to download?

Among other issues, I understand that the latest version is still in "development." But the issue is what degree of development are we talking about. Does the latest version approximate, for instance, the "beta" version of the game-speak and is almost free of bugs? Or is it what would be called pre-"alpha" stage and is essentially unplayable?

We would call it Alpha, not pre-alpha, nor beta. It IS playable, but many bugs remain and there are some new features not completely implemented/tested/polished, but it is a great experience for players anyway. The game itself is always playable, though, we make sure it is before releasing.

2. How do I edit the unit stats?

I quickly glanced over the files, but I could not find the particular file that controls the unit stats and other attributes. Moreover, once I do find such a file, what program should I use to edit it? Will something basic like MS Notepad suffice (as is the case of Civ4)?

Look at C:\Program Files\Wesnoth\data\core\units\ and it subdirs (replace C:\Program Files\Wesnoth with whatever directory you installed Wesnoth in)*, and take a look/edit at the .cfg files. I recommend a compatible text editor, not Windows's default, because it messes up newline markers. Instead, use alternatives such as Notepad++ (a quick search on "plain text editor" should do it). Note that it has ought to be a plain text editor, otherwise it will not work.

.cfg files are written using Wesnoth's own "scripting"/descriptive language, WML (Wesnoth Markup Language). No, it is not related to HTML or XML in any way that is important for you. Visit http://www.wesnoth.org/wiki/Create to get familiar with it, paying special attention to the Building Scenarios, Building Units, etc., sections, or anything that has Building or WML on it.

3. Are there additional campaigns to download?

I saw that there is an in-game link for downloading Wesnoth files. But they seem to be all maps; am I correct in this assumption?

No, at least not in the 1.3.x content server. Well, in both branches (Wesnoth 1.2.x and 1.3.x) there are a variety of User Made Content (UMC), which is campaigns, eras, graphic packages, music packages, maps, and so on. You cannot know until you visit the addon's forum topic (in Scenario & Camp development, Multiplayer development and Faction & Eras development) to learn what that add-on is about. Otherwise, it is up to you to download and figure out. Most stuff should be campaigns anyway.

I am sure I had more questions, but this ought to be enough for now. Thanks in advance!

You're welcome.

EDIT: by the way, there is always the Wesnoth wiki, http://www.wesnoth.org/wiki/Play so that you can learn more about the game features and etc. There is a plenty of user-contributed (and developer-contributed, of course) information in there.

[thespaceinvader]

1: I would also recommend the Dev version. It's more complete and more usefull playable, though it's advised that you should only play it if you're willing to participate in the dev process by reporting any bugs that should arise etc etc.

2: Already answered.

3: Ditto.

4: Items are few and far between in the mainline game. There are quite a few Holy damage-granting items, a coup[le of other attack-granting items, and one or two items which have only a storyline effect with no ingame effect. Play Eastern Invasion and HttT to see the most common ones. But really, the game isn't based around items - it's a strategy game based primarily on large forces, not powerful single units.

[Noyga]

Hi, I am a turn-based fantasy strategy game fanatic who discovered this game yesterday. And I can't believe how absorbing the game is, considering that it is free!

Anyways, I had a list of miscellaneous questions, and I was hoping if someone could be kind enough to address them:

1. What version to download?

Among other issues, I understand that the latest version is still in "development." But the issue is what degree of development are we talking about. Does the latest version approximate, for instance, the "beta" version of the game-speak and is almost free of bugs? Or is it what would be called pre-"alpha" stage and is essentially unplayable?

It depends ...
The development version don't usually look much more buggy than the stable one (but it happens sometimes).
Also it has nice features that aren't supported by the sable one, some newer graphics, ...

But it also has some drawbacks :
- once a new unstable is out the previous one becames obsolete.
Which means that you'll need to update often your version.
If you play only you'll no longer be able to play with the old version.
- unlike the stable version backward compatibilty isn't guaranted.
Which mean that strange things might happen (but not too often) if you contine to play a campaign started with a previous unstable version.
Usually we try to make a version compatible with the two previous version, but it's not always 100%

If you don't have a good connection or you don't want to update often the stable version might be a better choice for you.

2. How do I edit the unit stats?

I quickly glanced over the files, but I could not find the particular file that controls the unit stats and other attributes. Moreover, once I do find such a file, what program should I use to edit it? Will something basic like MS Notepad suffice (as is the case of Civ4)?

Most text editor would work.

3. Are there additional campaigns to download?

I saw that there is an in-game link for downloading Wesnoth files. But they seem to be all maps; am I correct in this assumption?

There is a lot of addons on the addons server, most of those are actually campaigns (but some aren't).

[Clonkinator]

1. What version to download?

Actually, if you want to player multiplayer over the internet or don't have the possiblities to update Wesnoth often, the stable version is the better choice. If you don't mind the fact that you'll have to update it regularly and would like to test out the new features, however, try the development version.

2. How do I edit the unit stats?

Answered by the other guys already, so I won't repeat this one...

3. Are there additional campaigns to download?

At least in the stable version, yeah, lots of them, but not all of them are good. Ask for other players' opinions on some of the campaigns if you aren't sure about which ones to try. Also, there are lots of maps and map-packs for multiplayer sessions available, and a good bunch of them definitvely is worth a try. Again, ask people about their opinions. Looking at the threads of the addons in the forums always is a good idea to learn more about the addon.

4: I have yet to encounter an item other than something that gives you Holy damage in the main campaign, in spite of the fact that I am more than half-way through. Are there other items in the game or was this the sole one?

There actually is an almost infinite amount of items that are available, but you'll encounter very few of them when playing mainline campaigns/maps. If you want to see more and more different items, try out some of the multiplayer addons, for example those being found at my signature. Especially my RPG introduces some new items. Anyway...

[MisterBarca]

Thanks for the useful and detailed replies, everyone--esp. Shadow Master.

Regarding my original questions:

1. I've decided download the development version, because the game there does look more fleshed out. Again, I simply marvel at how well-designed the game is, considering that it is not a commercial venture.

2. I think I will forgo editing stats for now for two reasons.

First, the initial unit values all seem reasonably well-set (except for a few minor quibbles), and I haven't played the game enough times yet to presume that I know enough to re-balance the factions (which I did, for instance, with Age of Wonders or Civilization IV).

Second, I want to be able to play multiplayer relatively soon, and I'd imagine it'd be a hassle to switch back and forth between a multiplayer mode and a single player mode.

3. Ok, given that there are campaigns on the add-on download button of the game, what user-made campaigns are most heavily recommended? Unfortunately, I think it was impossible to see any description of the individual downloads from that window.

I would write much more--and would've written earlier--but right now I am too absorbed in the game to do anything else.

So please consider my pithy and late reply as not a sign of rudeness, but a sign of my heartfelt appreciation of your product!

[MisterBarca]

By the way one quick question regarding what appears to be a bug:

How do I get rid of a long string of white text that occasionally pops up on the top left and seems to essentially hide that entire section of the game window?

[MisterBarca]

By the way one quick question regarding what appears to be a bug:

How do I get rid of a long string of white text that occasionally pops up on the top left and seems to essentially hide that entire section of the game window?

What I am talking about is about six lines of something like:

<ai> attack option has value...

[commanderkeen]

Oops, you beat me to my post!

Those appear when you are in debug mode. It must be on by default in the dev versions. I think to turn it off you type something along the lines of ":debug" or ":debug off"

In response to your question 2, it isn't too hard to have a Wesnoth with your stats and a Wesnoth with the default stats. You can either make an era for your stats or install a 2nd copy of Wesnoth in a different folder. I used to have 10 installs in various versions of 1.1.x before 1.2 came out, for instance. In those installs I had one version I edited, one version with user campaigns and the other 8 were just different versions, all with their own saves of Heir to the Throne scenarios. I must have completed Elves Besieged hundreds of times by now...

[MisterBarca]

Oops, you beat me to my post!

Those appear when you are in debug mode. It must be on by default in the dev versions. I think to turn it off you type something along the lines of ":debug" or ":debug off"

In response to your question 2, it isn't too hard to have a Wesnoth with your stats and a Wesnoth with the default stats. You can either make an era for your stats or install a 2nd copy of Wesnoth in a different folder. I used to have 10 installs in various versions of 1.1.x before 1.2 came out, for instance. In those installs I had one version I edited, one version with user campaigns and the other 8 were just different versions, all with their own saves of Heir to the Throne scenarios. I must have completed Elves Besieged hundreds of times by now...

Ah, thanks so much for the help!

I will make a mod stats file then once I understand the unit match-ups better.

Another technical question: How do I get the game to stop autosaving every turn? It looked like there was a control for it in the game menu, but it doesn't seem to be working!

[commanderkeen]

Ingame, Type either ":nosaves" or ":nosave". I can't remember which it is, so I always type both. You will need to do this every time you start Wesnoth.

Yes, the Autosave option thing doesn't work properly. In the dev version I last DLed, it didn't work either.

[MisterBarca]

Ingame, Type either ":nosaves" or ":nosave". I can't remember which it is, so I always type both. You will need to do this every time you start Wesnoth.

Yes, the Autosave option thing doesn't work properly. In the dev version I last DLed, it didn't work either.

Great. I can already see that the community here is much more pleasant than, say, in Civ IV or WoW

[commanderkeen]

Wesnoth has it's share of spammers. Higher Game was one, and so was Danny_California. There are new ones now, but I won't name any names...

I do hope the commands I posted for turning debug mode and autosaves off work. I don't use the Dev version, you see. It's hard to keep up to date when it takes over 3 hours to download Wesnoth on my Dialup connection. I know the autosave one works in 1.2, so it shouldwork in 1.3, but I'm not so sure if the debug one will work. Just in case it doesn't, you can lower the number of chat lines in the preferences, so then there will only be one line of it, as opposed to six.